In the prior art, the holding shell and wire wrap post for spring contact probes and the like are commonly made separately and joined in a mechanical assembly operation. The wire wrap post in the prior art is formed by machining on a screw machine while the holding shell is produced by crimping and drawing operations. and then joined to a cylindrical head of the post by an assembly crimping process. The prior art product is somewhat costly to make and is not completely gas-tight, interfering somewhat with its use in vacuum test fixtures. In some cases, the product is not completely sound electrically, because of the mechanical connection of the separately formed wired wrap post with the holding shell.
The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above drawbacks of the prior art by providing an integrated holding shell and wire wrap post formed entirely by metal forming and drawing operations, thereby entirely eliminating machining of any part of the product. The integrated product, according to the invention, is completely gas-tight, enhancing its use in a vacuum environment, and is more electrically sound, due to the total elimination of the mechanical crimped connection between the shell and post according to the prior art. Furthermore, the manufacturing cost according to the present invention is reduced.
Other feature and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following description.